How to convert photos to black and white in Windows 11

Some photographers may consider black-and-white photos to be old-fashioned. Still, converting to black and white can often improve low-light photographs. Converting photos to black and white is also one of the best retro editing methods to give photos of old subjects a nostalgic look.

The vast majority of image editors include at least basic black and white editing options. So there are many software options to convert photos to black and white in Windows 11. Here’s how to convert your photos to black and white in Windows 11 with some freely available apps.

How to convert photos to black and white with photos

Photos is Windows 11’s default image viewer, which also includes some useful editing options to boot. It includes a few alternative filters to apply black and white to your photos. You can convert photos to black and white with the Photos app like this:

1. Click the pinned Photos app on Windows 11’s Start menu.
2. Then select a photo you want to edit in Photos’ Collection the tab.
3. Print Edit image button at the top of Photos.

4. click on Filter button.
5. Then choose B&W filter option.

6. Select Save as copy option.

Alternatively, you can choose different B&W cool, B&W warmor Black and white high contrast options to convert an image to black and white. Each filter uses a different black and white effect. You can slightly color a black and white photo by dragging Intensity slider to the left of each black and white filter. And if you’re interested in bringing color to old photos, check out how to colorize old black and white photos with Ancestry.

Don’t forget to check out the options at Adjustments the tab. There you can refine a converted black-and-white image by dragging the sliders Brightness, Exposure, Highlightsand Contrast bars.

How to convert photos to black and white with Paint.NET

Paint.NET is a full-featured image editing program for Windows that you can use to convert images to black and white. It has alternate desktop and MS Store app versions. The desktop software version of Paint.NET is freely available. Here’s how to convert your photos to black and white with Paint.NET.

1. Open Paint.NET’s Softpedia page.
2. Select Download now to see placement options.
3. click on Softpedia Secure Download (US) – Free desktop version option.
4. Extract the folder containing the downloaded Paint.NET ZIP archive.
5. Right-click Paint.NET’s ZIP and select Pull everything out on the archive’s context menu.

6. Check the box for Show extracted files option and click Extract to view the archive.

7. Then double click on paint.net.4.3.12.install.anycpu.web.exe file.
8. Select Express installation option.

9. Click Next to view the license agreement.
10. Select I agree and click Next to install.
11. Then click Finish with the Start paint.net option selected.

Now that you’ve got the software up and running, you can start editing in Paint.NET. These are the steps to convert an image to black and white:

1. Click Paint.NET’s File Menu.
2. Select Open option.
3. Select an image you want to edit and click Open again.
4. click on Adjustments the tab.
5. Select Black and white the ability to convert.

6. Click File and Save to save over the original image.

An alternative method for converting black and white images is to select Hue saturation option on Paint.NET’s Adjustments the tab. Then drag the slider on Saturation the bar on the far left. You can go Ease slider to darken or lighten the black and white image. Desaturation will also convert images to black and white in any other editing software with such an option.

If you like Paint.NET, check out some useful image editing you can do with Paint.NET to get the most out of it.

How to convert photos to black and white with Black and White Photos Pro

Black and White Photos Editor Pro is a black and white conversion app that you can download from the Microsoft Store. That app is freely available, albeit with a pro version that includes more textures, stickers, and overlays. You can unlock the full app version for $3.49. Here’s how to convert your photos to black and white with the Black and White Photos app:

1. Open the Black and White Photo Editor Pro app’s Microsoft Store page.
2. Then click on Few in the Store App option and select Open the Microsoft Store.
3. click on Install the Black and White Photo Editor option.
4. Select Open on the app’s MS Store page.
5. Then click on Gallery button.

6. Select an image to convert to black and white and click Open option. A cropping tool will then open.
7. Select Crop without making any crop adjustments to proceed. You will then see a black and white version of the selected image in the app.

8. click on Save the option to automatically save the image to a default location. You can see where the app saves the image by clicking the folder button.

To refine your black and white image, click on Manual button in the app. Then you can choose Brightness, Exposure, Contrast, Obscurity, Pointy, Saturationand Vignette editing options from there. Drag the slider for each option to increase or decrease the editing effect.

You can also add another texture and overlay to the image. click on Texture or Overlay buttons to see what options are available. Most textures and overlays are reserved for the pro version, but there are a few available for selection in the free app.

How to convert images to black and white with ConvertImage

There are also black and white image conversion web apps that you can use in Edge or other Windows browsers. The website ConvertImage.net contains various image conversion tools, including a tool to turn images black and white. It’s a quick and easy-to-use tool for converting images to black and white on the fly. You can convert images with ConvertImage like this:

1. Open the ConvertImage black and white conversion tool website.
2. click on Choose your photo button.
3. Select an image to turn black and white and select Open option.
4. You can choose an option PNG, PDF, JPG, BMPand TIF formats for, among other things, the image. If you don’t want to change the image’s file type, select Keep the original format option.

5. Print Send this photo button.

6. Select Download the image the option to save the black and white image.

Darken your photos in Windows 11

You can bring out the dark sides of your photos quickly and easily by converting them to black and white in Windows 11 with the apps above. Black and white will work better in some images than others. So try experimenting with black and white on photos with notable shadows, poor lighting quality, or retro subjects that could benefit from a darker look.